Some people are collectors. I used to be, but 18 years of being an Army brat cured me, with one exception: books. I will always have books. Other people have things, part of a collection or not, that never get used.

Maybe it’s a formal living room no one ever visits (think: plastic slip covers on the sofa). Perhaps fine china or silver that gathers dust. The bottle of wine or whiskey that never gets opened (horrors!).

My philosophy, in the interest of reducing clutter, has become “use it or lose it,” i.e. trash, sell, donate, or gift it to someone.

About two decades ago, I bought a lovely little vase in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I can’t say it wasn’t used, exactly. It has sat on my bathroom countertop since then. But it held some dried, dyed grasses that faded and grew cobwebby over the years.

Two years ago, I said to myself: “Self, this is a VASE and it should be holding FLOWERS.” It still has a dried arrangement over the winter (fresher), but from May through November, I regularly stock it with blooms and greenery from the yard and roadside – mostly wildflowers.

It’s such a delight having those perky blossoms brighten my morning rituals each day. Here’s a selection of bouquets from last year. (Clearly blanket-flowers make a regular appearance.)

Spring has definitely sprung around here. I saw some chokecherries blooming today that I gotta have. I picked some lovely lupines on my dog walk this morning. Now I have another mini vase that I got in Delft, the Netherlands, last year.

Survival of the fittest! 😃 I think wildflowers are just as lovely as the cultivated ones. I’ve been a minimal gardener at our current house. Too overwhelming. But my new place has a tiny yard and I’d like to make the most of it!

First off…beautiful. Second off, I’m sort of with you…I always get rid of stuff. Though, I do have a few cat statues that I found on travels and loved and will probably never get rid of, so we all have something

I guess everyone collects something, especially of “our” generation. My mother collected Wedgwood pottery, my wife collects old tobacco tins and ….. I collect wine! It’s a gripping serious hobby as I suffer visiting so many vineyards in Europe ….. lots of nice people to meet though and other benefits too!

I used to have three globes, but I gave one to a Bosnian family. I decided I need three to be able to call them a collection, but haven’t replaced that one yet. Just have the one my sister and I had as children in the 1950s and my son’s from the 1980s. So far.

There’s nothing wrong with being a collector (says the person with a house full of knickknacks), and a vase is a fine start, since at least it has a practical use! Beautiful flowers – I’ve been on a tulip kick lately myself; I’ve got orange and yellow ones at the moment (and they’re not even in a vase, since mine broke – just a Tom Collins glass)!

So far, I think your vase collection is in check. In the past two years, I’ve purchased dozens of mugs, and I don’t even know why. Don’t be me–keep it at the two. (I’m the same with books as you, and I don’t regret that collection!)